Brolga – the amazing dancing bird
Brolga is the Australian largest flying bird with a wingspan of up to 2.4 meters.
Brolga is a wetland bird that lives in tropical and south-eastern Australia. Brolgas are famous for their courting dance. This large bird dances, leaping a meter in the air and calling as part of bonding and breading.
There is an opinion they dance also for pleasure. Considering we spotted brolgas many times, we were only able to see them dancing only once. My biggest surprise was seeing brolgas flying early in the morning over the Simpson Desert, next to the Big Red sand dune (off Birdsville).
Where do Brolgas live?
Brolgas love water so they usually feed and breed in open wetlands, coastal mudflats and irrigated croplands. Sometimes they visit estuaries and mangrove creeks.
Brolga distribution?
Brolgas like warmer climates and because of that they can be found in the northern part of Australia and Queensland. However, brolgas can be also spotted in western Victoria and New South Wales or southeast South Australia.
Brolga Lifespan
Brolgas can live up to 30 years.
Where spotted: Darwin NT, Gibb River Road in Kimberley WA, Simpson Desert, Karumba QLD
The biggest number of brolgas we saw in one place was Kurumba. In general, Karumba is a town where you can spot a lot of different wildlife like kangaroos, wallabies, parrots, wild horses, pigs and of course brolgas.
There are many Aboriginal legends and dances associated with Brolga dance and movement that mimick their graceful, unique performance.
Brolga – more information
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